Eagle CreekThe sky was a dismal shade of grey when we opened our eyes on this first day of August. During our family style continental breakfast offered by the hotel, we talked with a couple of people and decided on the hike that we were going to do. It was the Pacific Crest Trail, and could, if we wanted it to, take us all the way to Canada or Mexico. We also talked with a gentleman who told us that in the afternoon, when the sun was in the right place, where we wanted to be was across Trillium Lake, where we could get a fantastic picture of Mount Hood reflecting off the water in the lake. We thought this was an excellent plan, and packed our bags, then checked out of the Mt. Hood Inn. Minutes later, we drove up the Timberline Lodge road again to begin our hike near the mammoth mountain. Rain began to fall steadily as we drove higher and higher, and the gauge in the car reading the outside temperature began to drop to a chilly 49 degrees Fahrenheit. When we arrived at the top, the view that we had yesterday of the cloud-making machine had been eaten by the clouds, and there was nothing to see but white vapor for miles in any direction.

Snow clung to the base of the mountain and while we were there, the occasional snowboarders and skier slid down this path, which connected to the road for the lodge. Said skier took this picture for us (yes, this picture really was taken in August!); unfortunately you can’t really tell that Mount Hood is directly behind us. Given the uncooperative weather, it was clear that we were unprepared to take a hike potentially above tree line in the clothes that we had on, especially in a climate that could create snow if the mountain chose to fling a few flakes at us. With remorse, we climbed in the car and began to drive north toward the Columbia River Gorge, hoping for better weather there.

Along the way, there were a few really neat spots we stopped. The first was a place off of Oregon State Road 35 North called Rouston Park. It was a tiny little campground nestled right next to the east fork of the Mount Hood River, where up in the landscape was drastic. Barry and I waked along the river a bit, following our usual modus operandum of using the landscape as our playground. It was a fun little side adventure, and when the rain caught up with us, we hopped back into the car and continued heading north.

It wasn’t long after that that we ventured into the Fruit Loop, where the highway cuts through acre after acre of fruit farm. Along the route, a number of local fruit stands sell what they have in season. We stopped at the first one we came to, Aubert’s Fruit Stand. We were able to sample all of the berries before we purchased anything, and in the end, Barry and I decided we liked the boysenberries the best. With a pint of fresh berries, and a small jar of Jalapeno Pepper Jelly, we hoped back into the car and continued on toward the gorge.

The sun began to peek out a little just as we passed this sign called Panorama Point, so we took the right off the highway and headed up the not-very-well marked road to the top. It is apparent that the view would have been stunning should Mt. Hood have chosen to come out and play, given the scene that were able to get. The contrast between the orchards and the mountains was superb despite the grandeur of the highest elevation point in Oregon, as were the clouds that formed to hide the formation we kept trying to see.

Eventually we reached I-84 and headed west toward Portland. The directions that we had made it clear that Eagle Creek was only available going eastbound, so we needed to turn around and go one mile east before getting off at the fish hatchery, which was the beginning of the hike we took today. Just as we began the trek toward the trailhead, the sprinkle of rain started. However, it was a balmy 67 degrees here, and a little rain didn’t scare us away from what is supposed to be one of the best hikes in Oregon! And indeed, the hike was excellent. For the first couple of miles, we went slowly, taking pictures of the intensity of our surroundings we were walking in. After a bit, we turned right onto the trail for Lower Punch Bowl Falls and descended into the canyon for 0.2 mile. We carefully navigated over to see the Falls, whose shape reminded me a little of Niagra Falls. From the far end of the river, we were able to stand on some rocks to look over at Upper Punch Bowl Falls, which was a hidden gem until we hiked back up and went farther down the trail. From above, we were able to see the unique shape that the waterfall spewed forth: this deep cut into the rock bed that had almost perfect curvature to it. The picture doesn’t really do it justice. We continued to where our guidebook told us was the first official turn-around point, called high bridge. It was the third bridge that we came across, each one getting further off the ground. At this point, it was 5:45 in the evening. With the rain still spitting down on us, and the sun setting in a time period we weren’t quite sure of given our location in the forest, we high-tailed it to the beginning of the trail, completing our 7.6 mile hike.

From the car, we called our host to see if he had any dinner plans, then made a quick detour to see Multnomah Falls, apparently the second tallest year-round waterfall in the nation. Perhaps if we were less pooped, or if the sun were shining, or we were more motivated, we would have taken a picture as awesome as the one on the website instead of this one, which we were able to get from COW.

The almost end of another perfect day, we returned to the interstate to leave the Columbia River Gorge and return to Portland for a few slices of gourmet pizza and a relaxing evening with Mike and Laura.